Three Films by Chuck Jones: Duck Amuck, One Froggy Evening and What’s Opera, Doc?

By Craig Kausen Grandson of animator Chuck Jones

When people ask what it was like growing up with Chuck Jones as my grandfather, I tell them that he was like many other grandfathers I knew growing up. He spent time on the Above: Bugs Bunny and weekends with us when he was home from Elmer Fudd in “What’s the studio where he was making cartoons dur- Opera, Doc?” Center: ing the week. One of my earliest memories Daffy Duck in “Duck with him was when I was just learning to swim Amuck.” Bottom: Michigan around the age of five (a bit late for most J. Frog in “One Froggy Evening.” Courtesy Warner youngsters living near the ocean). I finally Bros. found the wherewithal to dog-paddle out into the middle of the pool by myself and at that moment Chuck walked onto the pool deck wearing his khakis, deck shoes, collared shirt, and even a hat. He saw what I had achieved and without Arguably the hesitation ran to the end of the pool, dashed off the most famous diving board, picked me up with water still cascading short animat- from atop his hat and down his face and threw me ed film ever into the air with a loud “Woo-hoo!!” I can still see his created, water-soaked, smiling face staring up at me in joy- “What’s ous celebration. Perhaps he was just a little bit dif- Opera, Doc? ferent than some other grandfathers I knew. (1957) has been feted, Another wonderful tradition that we were fortunate to lauded, enjoy was on frequent occasion, Chuck would bring praised, and applauded. Considered the #1 animated down a handful of 16mm prints of his Warner Bros. cartoon as selected by 1,000 animation art profes- cartoons to show at his house in Corona del Mar. sionals, critics, and collectors, “What’s Opera, Doc?” We were often able to bring a friend to these ad hoc is the boisterously rhapsodic retelling of Wagner’s op- film festivals in his living room where my brother, eratic “Der Ring des Nibelungen” cycle. sister, or I would be chosen to play projectionist on his old, blue Bell and Howell projector. He might cas- Chuck would talk about how much fun it was to team ually refer to a memory about the cartoon or tell a sto- up with his writer, Mike Maltese, condensing the ry about how the ideas were conceived before we ro- three-day opera into 7 minutes of animation while tated the knob, heard the clackety-clack of the film as keeping all of the nuances and emotional moments the numbers counted down until the Warner Bros. of the original. Bugs Bunny in horned helmet and shield would jump onto the screen as the Merrie Mel- Brunhilde braids, Elmer Fudd with sword and magic odies or the Looney Tunes theme songs began to helmet continue their epic struggle to the Wagnerian play. It was in these “private” screenings that I first strains of the Valkyrie’s melody. I remember Mau- got my exposure to the three films referenced below. rice Noble telling me that he was brought in after the production had begun because Chuck was not hap- In 1992, the National Film Preservation Board se- py with the way the production was being staged. lected “What’s Opera, Doc?” as the first animated Maurice decided to take it out from under the pro- short film to be inducted into the National Film scenium arch and create the ‘Wagnerian World’ we Registry of the Library of Congress. I clearly remem- all have come to know and love. ber where I was when I heard the news from my mother that it was to be the first to be inducted. “What’s Opera, Doc?” was soon joined in the Nation- at the office with Chuck after he got off the phone al Film Registry by his 1953 short animated film, with Jerry Levin, then CEO of Time Warner Inc. Mr. “Duck Amuck.” To this day, as the opening titles Levin had called Chuck personally to say that he felt and credits roll by for “Duck Amuck,” my expecta- there was more brilliance and more character in “One tions are enticed into the world of Musketeers and Froggy Evening” than possibly any other film in histo- “sampling his blade” only to be surprised, as Daffy ry. Later that year, Warner Bros. selected Michigan J. is, at the dissolving scenery on his “animation Frog as their official “spokes-phibian” for their new stage.” Chuck always said that Daffy was the victim, WB Network. the one who always loses, yet always dreams of all of the attention and all of the riches. Chuck would Through my many years of personal exposure to say “I always dreamed of being Bugs Bunny, but most of my grandfather’s films (who knows, perhaps then I would wake up, look in the mirror, and see I have actually seen them all by now), I recognize a Daffy Duck.” I always loved that; he also said that common thread of intellect, unexpected twists and we are all just a little bit avaricious. Perhaps that’s turns, and the ultimate in character development why Daffy resonates so beautifully with each of us. common to a Chuck Jones creation. No other cartoon breaks the fourth wall quite the way “Duck Amuck” does with Daffy’s attention being It’s difficult to tell what properties go into the making turned not only out of the film and directly to the au- of a classic cartoon film. Is it as simple as a legend- dience, but, in fact, to the nefarious animator who ary director, dedicated and talented animators, lay- can’t quite get his act together throughout the film. out and background artists of impeccable ability, a And then at the very end to have Bugs Bunny be the musical director with a depth of knowledge not likely silent antagonist, it provides such an unexpected to be seen again, a story-writer whose talents have twist that the layers of “reality” are endless. yet to be equaled, all working in an environment pro- ducing some of the greatest cartoons ever made? If “Duck Amuck” was honored as the second greatest not those, what then? Is it the foresight of genius? animated film of all time in the book “The 50 Great- Or is it all just happenstance, a matter of fate, a har- est Cartoons, As Selected By 1000 Animation Pro- monic convergence of talent? fessionals”. I always loved this quote by one of his brilliant animators: “It is one of a handful of American I would say it is a peppering of all of these coming animation masterpieces, and likely the most cerebral together with the passion, curiosity, and joy of creat- of them. Daffy makes the most of his opportunity for ing the very best that each individual could produce, a definitive solo tour de force. It is at once a laugh at that time of their lives and their careers, and that riot and an essay by demonstration on the nature the end result was simply targeted toward their own and condition of the animated film and the mechan- enjoyment of the final product. ics of film in general.” --- Richard Thompson, “Film Comment,” 1975 I think Chuck truly encapsulated it when he said, “The rules are simple. Take your work, but never Having films showcasing Bugs Bunny and/or Daffy yourself, seriously. Pour in the love and whatever Duck, who appeared in hundreds of Looney Tunes skill you have, and it will come out.” and Merrie Melodies films over 30 years, selected as the greatest of all time seems quite apropos. Howev- I see both the love and the skill every time I watch er, to have a Chuck Jones film, whose characters one of these cartoons. starred but one time, be selected for its greatness illustrates how beautifully and precisely the charac- ters develop and communicate to the audience The views expressed in this essay are those of the author and do not (without even a single spoken word). necessarily represent the views of the Library of Congress.

“One Froggy Evening” is possibly the greatest direc- torial achievement of Chuck’s career. Steven Spiel- berg called it the “Citizen Kane” of animation. “Time” Craig Kausen is the Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the magazine has said it is “as close as any cartoon has non-profit Chuck Jones Center for Creativity based in Orange ever come to perfection.” In 1993, I remember being County, California.